Secretary-General of the QOC Jassim Rashid al-Buenain, Qatar Handball Association president Ahmad al-Shaabi and other officials pose with the Qatar handball team on their arrival in Doha yesterday. At right, coach Valero Rivera, team manager Yusuf al-Hail and player Wajdi Sinan pose with the trophy.

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Qatar’s handball players arrived to a rapturous welcome in Doha yesterday after winning the Asian Handball Championship for the fourth consecutive time on Monday. Officials of various sports bodies in Qatar were in attendance at the Hamad International Airport to receive the team, who were praised by the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani among other officials.HE Sheikh Joaan extended congratulations to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and to the Qatari people, on the national handball team winning title, beating South Korea 33-21 in the final match of the Championship held in Kuwait.HE Sheikh Joaan said the victory was the fruit of the efforts of all, including the players, the technical and administrative bodies and the Qatar Handball Association (QHA), adding, “We are proud of our national team winning the Asian Championship title as it is a big tournament, where the national team excelled and strengthened its position on the throne of the Asian continent, beating all the teams they faced.”HE Sheikh Joaan praised the performance of the players during the matches and said: All the players were champions and played with a high fighting spirit in all the matches that our team played in the tournament, stressing their competence with continental achievement.HE Sheikh Joaan also praised the efforts of the Qatar Handball Association (QHA) in making this achievement, and said: “Everyone has made a great effort throughout the past period in order to realise the achievement and raise the flag of Qatar high, and we are waiting for the best from them in the next World Cup Championship”. Meanwhile, Qatar Handball Association (QHA) President Ahmed Mohamed al-Shaabi in a statement said that the national team’s winning of the title is the culmination of the continuous support and encouragement that the Qatar Handball Association (QHA) receives from the wise leadership of the State.He added that “the team think only of the titles always, whatever the difficulties and challenges, and I believe that whoever wants to win any title must exceed all the teams on the way towards achieving goals.” “Thus, the biggest proof of our eligibility for this title is that we beat all the teams that qualified with us, including Japan, Bahrain and South Korea.”Al-Shaabi noted that the team Qatar achieved many gains by participating in this championship, as they succeeded in regaining their prestige in the Asian continent only two months after failing to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo.Kuwait’s Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Mohamed al-Jabri also hailed the Qatari team.“Qatar were excellent in the final and throughout the competition thanks to the efforts of their players, who were exceptional. They were heroic in their performances and were exciting to watch,” the minister said in a statement carried by Kuwait news agency (KUNA).Yesterday, the Secretary-General of the QOC Jassim Rashid al-Buenain led a delegation of sports officials to receive the team at the Hamad International Airport. The players, coach Velero Rivera, officials and members of the support staff were welcomed with garlands.Coach Rivera said Qatar deserved the title because they worked hard for it. “It was a difficult tournament but we were confident from the start. Our victory didn’t come as a fluke, we worked hard for it. The matches were tough, especially the semi-final against Bahrain, but thanks to our preparations we succeeded.” Team manager Yusuf al-Hail also credited the team’s success to hard work and perseverance. “I congratulate everyone on this achievement,” he said. (QNA)